October 20,  2020

German agriculture minister suggests permitting weekend work to support pig sector

Germany's Minister of Food and Agriculture, Julia Klöckner, has suggested that permitting work on Sundays and the holidays may help the country's pig producing sector.

Klöckner made the suggestion prior to a summit with the states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, where recent developments at pig farms in connection to African swine fever and COVID-19 cases in slaughterhouses were discussed,

"The situation on some farms is tense.. farmers are concerned. An animal welfare problem is surfacing because ready-to-slaughter pigs are not being picked up due to reduced activity in some slaughterhouses and processing plants. Therefore, it may be helpful to grant an exemption to allow for work on Sundays and holidays," Klöckner said.

"Every effort should be made to prevent the number of animals in the pens from increasing. Private storage has not yet been contemplated, but this option does not make sense if capacity is not constantly reduced."

- BMEL